Since 1928, when the company's first workshop was founded in Tamames, Salamanca, Luis Méndez Artesanos has been a family affair. The three Méndez brothers, Luis, Jerónimo and Raúl, comprise the third generation of goldsmiths at the helm of the workshop, bringing the same passion and drive to their craft as their father and grandfather before them. Creating filigree is an ancient and nowadays almost forgotten technique; in their hands it has been revamped and successfully led into the 21st century. Their goal is not only to create delicate, intricate and beautiful pieces of jewellery but also to promote their craftsmen's work by participating in international fairs and exhibitions, making this centuries-old craft relevant once again.

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See Luis Méndez at work at his shop and observe him carry out all the different steps required to make a piece of  filigree jewellery. His actions are filmed and broadcast live on a screen in order to show the public every detail of the intricate and elaborate craftsmanship involved. The demonstration includes the making of a button called the 'Botón charro' (charro being the popular name for people from Salamanca). This button was used in traditional attire and its modern version is one of the workshop’s trademark pieces, used to make earrings, rings, pendants and bracelets. During their visit the public is encouraged to interact and ask questions, and Luis is very keen to respond and share the principles of his craft.

Filigree on screen in Salamanca

Watch a master craftsman make filigree jewellery.

Get close up to filigree jewellery

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Luis drew inspiration for this filigree gold leaf pendant from traditional jewellery of the Salamanca area. The pendant comprises two segments which have been textured and finished with an enamel coating.

Colgante - Galágo con lazo (Pendant - Galágo with bow)

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Luis has re-interpreted the universal design of a pair of engagement rings using intricate filigree detailing. This ring can be made to order in any size.

Tubular Alliance

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Luis created this handmade filigree brooch with a button at its centre from 18k gold and diamonds. Traditionally, buttons were used to complement clothing and were particularly popular in the 18th century.

Broche – botón de filigrana (Brooch - filigree button)

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Luis drew his inspiration for these earrings from traditional jewellery of the Salamanca area. Each gold and pearl earring has a three part construction with a rose-like top section, a central loop and a pendant with circular motifs.

Pendientes de relój (Clock earrings)

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This pair of gilt earrings was inspired by the work of traditional goldsmiths from the west of the Iberian Peninsula. The upper part of each earring, created from intricately worked and textured filigree, gives way to a pear shaped pendant below.

Pendientes de pera (Pear earrings)

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Created in 1981, Fundesarte is the leading institution for the promotion and development of Spanish craftsmanship businesses. It works to improve the economic and social relevance of the craft sector in Spain through projects that promote and enhance Spanish crafts and support competitiveness and innovation. Among its many promotional activities are the National Crafts Awards and the European Handicrafts Days, an annual initiative whose objective is to bring the world of heritage and creation closer to the public through craftsmanship events. It also organises exhibitions that tour Spain and internationally. Fundesarte is part of the EOI Foundation, an organisation linked to the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism.

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Brothers Jerónimo and Manuel Seco-Velasco represent the fifth generation of the oldest goldsmith's workshop in Andalusia. Based in Seville, the workshop focuses on making pieces of 'arte sacro' (holy art), creating an indissoluble connection with the city's tradition of Semana Santa (Holy Week). The company's creations also grace several churches around Spain and abroad. On an artistic level, throughout the years the workshop has developed incredible expertise in decorative pieces and built relationships with interior designers, with whom they collaborate on the creation of one-of-a kind pieces. Every day they accept new challenges, feeling the weight of their reputation as pioneers in their field, whose work is held in such high regard.

Seco, Jerónimo & Manuel

Serving Seville's holy traditions

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Fernando Marmolejo Hernández is the son of master goldsmith Fernando Marmolejo Camargo, and grew up surrounded by goldsmithing from a very young age. As a child, he frequented his father's workshop and played with the tools. "I did not choose this craft, it chose me. It was my destiny. I am very happy with what I do," says Fernando, who began as an apprentice in the traditional way, running errands for the workshop, holding pieces for the journeymen, and learning by watching. "When I was 15 years old I was sent to my father's new workshop in the centre of Seville, a workshop-showroom of which I was responsible, attending to customers and managing new orders," he says. "I worked in my father's workshop for about 37 years. Later, when my father and teacher passed away, I made the decision to become independent from the family workshop and opened my own in 2007."

Marmolejo Hernández, Fernando

Pursuing a family legacy

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An admirer of Spanish silverware from the 17th and 18th centuries, Jesús Domínguez is a Sevillian artisan who has been running the Orfebrería Domínguez workshop for more than thirty years. The workshop was founded by his father in 1945 and he started as an apprentice in 1986 at the age of 19. Since then, he has not stopped working with metals. Seville's great goldsmith tradition has influenced the work of craftsmen like Jesús. One of the first objects he made when he took over the workshop was a gold dagger for the Brotherhood of Soledad de San Lorenzo in Seville. What he likes most about his work is the methodology of all the phases and seeing the final result. For him a good silversmith must know how to pause, measure, look and check with the design. "Perfection must be the goal," says Jesús.

Dominguez Machuca, Jesus

Perfecting a family heritage

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Maite Tejedor abandoned her desire to be a professional actress when she discovered the world of jewellery. She learned everything from her teacher Jesús Márquez and, today, her workshop Ginger & Velvet is a reference in the sector. Her specialties are related to enamel, colour, suspended enamel and volume. She is inspired by anything that sparks her curiosity and excites her. "It can be a piece of music, the character of a play, my mother's closet of old dresses and even my childhood memories," she says. She respects tradition as she believes it is the basis of any craft discipline. "I work unhurriedly, and calmly observing my surroundings and what each piece is asking me in the creative process. I observe, listen and create," says Maite. She focuses on finding more sustainable, recyclable, and environmentally friendly materials.

Tejedor, Maite G.

A dialogue with jewellery

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Developed in partnership with Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte and made possible by the support of Cartier, Homo Faber in Città gives you a rare chance to visit over 70 artisan workshops. The project is developed in collaboration with Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Confartigianato Imprese Venezia, CNA Venezia, Consorzio Promovetro Murano, The Venice Glass Week and Venezia da Vivere.

Our Partners

Step inside the workshops and ateliers to learn the secrets of local master artisans and manufacturers

Try your hand at different crafts with an authentic experience

Marvel at examples of fine craftsmanship by doing our itineraries

This september, the second edition of Homo Faber in Città invites visitors to step off the beaten track and discover the artisanal addresses where Venetian craftspeople create objects of exquisite beauty. A rare opportunity to witness Venice’s master artisans and young talents demonstrating their crafts and presenting the tools, materials and skills involved in contemporary Venetian craftsmanship.

Enrich your experience beyond Homo Faber 2024: The Journey of Life

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Homo Faber Guide is an online portal dedicated to contemporary craftsmanship, showcasing artisans, ateliers, museums, galleries, shops and experiences. Create your user account for access to exclusive features on Homo Faber Guide: save your preferred pages, hear about hot topics first, leave recommendations for your favourite artisans and much more.

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Although the Michelangelo Foundation researches the talents for its projects autonomously, collaboration with our ambassadors is fundamental. Over 120 associations, schools and institutions allow us to map the continents for craftsmanship and to have partners in each country who share our vision and goals. In addition, we have asked well-known personalities in the craft, design and art world to be our ambassadors in the cities where they live, so that their recommendations can offer a unique insight into craftsmanship in the major cities of Europe and beyond.

Who are our ambassadors?

Download our free Homo Faber Guide app (iOS and Android) to discover artisans, museums, galleries, shops, and experiences by location. Search Homo Faber on the App store on your mobile device.

Find craftsmanship destinations on the go

Discover the addresses of esteemed manufacturers, well known for producing high quality objects across a wide variety of crafts. Read their stories and find out where you can shop their contemporary pieces, see their archive collections and even in some cases visit their workshops. Find exceptional ateliers where artisans collaborate creatively to create fine pieces of craftsmanship. Reach out to them to commission something special.

Ateliers & Manufacturers

All the artisans and small workshops featured in Homo Faber Guide have been carefully researched and selected. They are presented and narrated through a selection of images and an interview, which allows readers to immerse themselves in the universe of these makers who exemplify excellence in their individual fields or are promising talents of the future. Find masters and rising stars who share the same passion and determination, and whose workshops are ready to share their secrets with visitors.

A selection of the best artisans

Are you eager to discover a city through craftsmanship? Do you wish to spend a few hours visiting an applied arts museum or attending a course on a craft with one of the masters featured in Homo Faber Guide? Browse the section dedicated to experiences and find your next adventure.

Experiences

An expert artisan is an accomplished artisan who has been in activity for more than ten years. He or she may also be engaged in passing on their knowledge to the next generations, but they have been doing so for less than seven years. Beyond this, they will become a Master artisan.

Who is an Expert artisan?

Homo Faber Guide provides you with a selection of the best addresses across Europe and further afield, where you will be able to discover and purchase exceptional objects, some of which are created by artisans featured in Homo Faber Guide.

Galleries

Homo Faber Guide is an online platform dedicated to craftsmanship that allows you to discover artisans and their masterpieces; explore museums, visit galleries and shops selling unique objects; enjoy experiences in cities across Europe and beyond.

Homo Faber Guide is a signature project developed by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, an international non-profit organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, which was set up in 2016 thanks to the intuition of Franco Cologni and Johann Rupert. The Michelangelo Foundation’s mission is to celebrate and preserve master craftsmanship, and for this reason it has created a map of the most significant representatives in this field, with the aim of connecting all its protagonists: artisans, designers, gallery owners, art curators, collectors and enthusiasts of high-quality handmade pieces.

About the Guide

Are you an artisan, atelier or manufacturer? Would you like to be featured in Homo Faber Guide? The Michelangelo Foundation encourages self-assessment initiatives and is pleased to evaluate new members to appear on the Guide or in other projects. Thanks to the Master’s Touch Evaluation Tool, every artisan can send their application: register and access a questionnaire to see if you fulfill the 11 criteria for excellence that stand behind all the activities of the Michelangelo Foundation. If your answers reach the minimum requirement, your application will be brought to our attention; if, on the contrary, you should score below the minimum requirement, we will give you some points for improvement, in the hope that you may participate in future initiatives of the Michelangelo Foundation.

Join the Homo Faber Guide!

Our artisan labels

A master artisan is an accomplished artisan who has been in activity for more than ten years, and who has also been engaged in passing on his or her expertise to the younger generations for more than seven years. This is in keeping with one of the key values of the Michelangelo Foundation: the transmission of knowledge in craftsmanship.

Who is a Master artisan?

Find museums handpicked for their links to contemporary craftsmanship and the exquisite collections they have on display. In each city, discover a museum of interest and organise your visit. From Italian museums displaying coral collections, glass pieces and ceramics to decorative art museums in Russia and Greece, marvel at the variety of museums exhibiting masterpieces, showcasing techniques and recounting histories.

Museums

A rising star is an artisan who has been active for less than ten years, and who is capable of expressing his or her craft with competence, creativity and originality. Whether self-taught or trained, the rising star represents the future of craftsmanship, in creativity, concerns and approaches.

Who is a Rising star?

The artisans featured in Homo Faber Guide have been selected through a meticulous assessment process based on the 11 criteria for excellence, identified by Alberto Cavalli, Executive Director of the Michelangelo Foundation, in the volume The Master’s Touch, written with researchers Giuditta Comerci and Giovanna Marchello. The members of the Michelangelo Foundation’s network who have been invited to participate in sourcing artisans for the Guide use an evaluation tool based on these criteria. In this way, they can identify the most suitable artisans to include in the project.

Simple rules for a transparent selection

In which city does the artisan work?

In which country does the artisan practise?

What craft does the artisan practise?

What is the artisan’s Instagram page?

What is the name of the artisan you are recommending?

Does the artisan have a website?

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